The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and the Chairman of National Bank of Egypt (NBE) Hisham Okasha have witnessed the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Information Technology Institute (ITI) and NBE, in the presence of NBE Board Member Atef Helmy. The aim of the protocol is to establish a joint training academy to prepare professionals and enhance their employment opportunities for the bank, in various technology specializations.
The protocol was signed by ITI Chairwoman Heba Saleh and NBE Deputy Chairman Dalia ElBaz. The signing ceremony was attended by Assistant ICT Minister for Strategy and Implementation Sherine El-Guindy and officials from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and NBE.
Under the protocol, ITI and NBE will cooperate to prepare professionals in advanced and high-demand technology fields, most notably information security, data centers and user experience (UX).
The ICT Minister remarked that the cooperation is within the framework of MCIT strategy for building digital capabilities through creating promising opportunities in technical training to hone young people’s skills in advanced technology domains, including cybersecurity and data analysis. He said that the banking sector is one of the most vital state sectors, adding that the significance of the partnership lies in preparing professionals to bridge the divide between academic education and the requirements of the job market in banking, in view of technological advancements.
For his part, Okasha highlighted that the investment of NBE is based on the philosophy it has developed throughout its years of presence in the labor market, namely the importance of investing in the human factor. The academy is a representation of the philosophy pursued by the Bank, especially in the field of information security as a first phase, drawing on the outcomes of which, more fields will follow.
ITI Chairwoman explained that the academy will provide training in collaboration with specialized international companies to optimize the technical content in information security as well as the soft skills of presenting one’s résumé and experience on career websites, culminating this with international certificates in those areas.
For her part, ElBaz stated that the academy is the first step in the cooperation between NBE and ITI, and it will be followed by a variety of initiatives aimed at investing in people and qualifying them for the growing opportunities in technology.
The training lasts 570 hours for each discipline, concluded with hackathons and specialized competitions that partially involve challenges that concern NBE business, taken into account when selecting the best elements. The academy will provide employment opportunities for some top-performing trainees.
